Advice Needed....

Any "DIET" that makes you buy their food, is a bad one ... Your "DIET" should consist of foods that you can actually buy in a supermarket or farmer's market ... I quote the word diet, since it should really be a lifestyle change, I.e. something you can stick with for a lifetime, with built in flexibility, not an ALL or NOTHING type deal ...

ETA: People totally misuse the word "DIET" ... Please, look up the definition of the word "diet" ...

Eat more than 1,200 cals, lift heavy weights and enjoy some junk food once a week.

There's quite a variety here. I've done several diet programs/plans and have found this to work the best for me because I've been able to learn what works best for me through some trial and error. No need to buy expensive plans or products, just eat the food you like withinn reasonable portions.

There's also a wide variety of exericse levels here. Some are runners, some are into strength training, some do a balance of both, some enjoy walking or swimming, etc. Many find working out at home works best for them and like workout DVDs. The most important thing with exercise is that you find something (or a few things) that you'll enjoy so that you stick with it. Consistency is the key!

I have lost 110 lbs since April of 2012, and recently gained 10 of it back (purposely) while I was bulking.
I hadn't used myfitnesspal during my journey up until this past week (I can't believe i didn't use this before as it saves me soooo much time), but my 'diet' was based on a macro nutrient count (fat, carbs, protein).
I do strength/weight training so my macro count would be different from you as every individual is different.
If your plan is to exercise daily, I can recommend that you count your macros as such: 40protein / 30carbs / 30fats
I can go into more detail if you're interested in trying this out.
The pros of counting macros is that you'll really never be famished and you can eat whatever you want AS LONG AS you fit the foods you are eating into your macros for the day.
The cons would be that you have to calculate everything you are eating, but weight loss / cutting / bulking requires work and nothing ever comes easy.

Whatever you plan on doing (as there really isn't a 'right' way since everyone is different), I sincerely hope you achieve your goals!

I think it's finding something that you know you will stick with, there's no point only eating food you don't enjoy as it'll never last. I managed to cut out puddings and things like crisps, it was tough for a couple of weeks but after that you realise a lot of the time you are eating them for eating them sake (when does a biscuit ever actually fill you up), with the cravings gone for that sort of stuff I now eat whatever I want be it carbs, extra bowls of cereal between meals etc. I know a slice of cake won't fill me up so why bother with it.

That works for me but as I say it's whatever will work for each individual. After that try and do a bit of exercise so you burn more caleries than you eat in a day and you hopefully will see steady improvements. I never really wanted to lose more than about 2 pounds a week as if you lose a stone in 2 months you'll be chuffed anyway, it seems like a healthier pace and with still eating good meals and regular you don't slow your metabolism down which you do if you start trying to skip meals.